No plea agreement yet for A’s catcher Bruce Maxwell

1of3ARLINGTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 28: Oakland Athletics catcher Bruce Maxwell (13) looks down the field during the game between the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics on September 28, 2017, at Globe Life Park in Arlington, TX (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)Photo: Icon Sportswire, Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

2of3This is a 2016 photo of Bruce Maxwell of the Oakland Athletics baseball team. This image reflects the Oakland Athletics active roster as of Monday, Feb. 29, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)Photo: Chris Carlson, AP

3of3Oakland Athletics' Bruce Maxwell kneels during the National Anthem as teammate, Mark Canha, flanks him before A's play Seattle Mariners' during MLB game at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, September 26, 2017.Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

No plea agreement was reached during Maxwell’s settlement conference Monday in Superior Court in Phoenix, and another hearing was set for 9 a.m. April 13; Oakland is scheduled to play in Seattle that evening. His trial date is Aug. 9 if a plea agreement is not reached.

Maxwell, 27, was indicted by a grand jury Nov. 7 on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct after allegedly pointing a gun at a food-delivery person Oct. 28 in Scottsdale, Ariz. According to police accounts, Maxwell appeared to be intoxicated and made anti-police comments.

The A’s hoped that Maxwell’s case would be resolved before camp, and the team has not looked for additional catching help. Maxwell also could face discipline from Major League Baseball in the form of a suspension or fine or both.

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Maxwell was unavailable for comment after the hearing; he is expected to address the media when Oakland’s pitchers and catchers report to camp Tuesday. Though he is unlikely to discuss the legal case while it is in progress, Maxwell might address whether he plans to kneel during the national anthem again this season.

Maxwell got national attention starting in September, when he became the first and to date only major-league player to kneel for the anthem in solidarity with NFL players protesting mistreatment of African Americans by police.

Maxwell, who is from a military family, placed his hand on his heart when kneeling, and when he discussed his decision to kneel, he emphasized his love for the country and his desire to help make it better for all. There was some backlash at stadiums and even more so on social media, including threats against Maxwell.

Maxwell made more waves in October when he told the Athletic that a self-described pro-Trump waiter at a restaurant in Huntsville, Ala., had refused to take his order because of his national-anthem decision.

TMZ picked up the story and the manager of the restaurant denied that the incident happened, saying the issue was that one member of the party didn’t have an ID to purchase alcohol. Maxwell’s dining companion, Huntsville City Council member Devyn Keith, supported Maxwell’s version of the story.

Susan Slusser has worked at The San Francisco Chronicle since 1996. She has been a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America since 1993 and in 2012 became the only woman to be elected president in the 111 years of the organization. She has written about many other sports for the paper, particularly hockey and, more recently, e-sports.

Susan previously covered the Texas Rangers for the Dallas Morning News, the Orlando Magic for the Orlando Sentinel, and the NBA and other sports for the Sacramento Bee.

Susan is an on-air correspondent for the MLB Network and makes regular appearances on 95.7 FM The Game. Her book about the A’s, 100 Things A's Fans Need to Know and Do Before They Die, came out in 2014 and she and A’s radio announcer Ken Korach are working on a book that will come out in 2019.